Singapore's ageing population's care needs will shape everyday realities

THE inexorable trend of Singapore's ageing population is so well established that, ironically, it can be easy for its implications to recede into the background.

But the latest census, released earlier in June, casts a stark spotlight on one aspect of this trend. Conducted every 10 years, the most recent census included a new section on residents who faced difficulty performing basic activities: seeing, hearing, mobility, remembering or concentrating, self-care, and communicating.

While this covered residents in general, more than seven in 10 of those facing difficulty with such activities were aged 65 or older, and certain questions focused on such aged residents.